New Enclosed Bins Combat Rodents and Improve Recycling

The Department of Public Works (DPW) is installing 200 new fully enclosed BigBelly bins starting in September 2025 to combat rodent activity and prevent litter. These new bins, which include both trash and recycling stations, will replace almost all of the open-top trash cans currently in the city.

The solar-powered BigBelly bins have several benefits:

• They compact trash, allowing them to hold more waste.
• Integrated software alerts DPW when they are full, making collection routes more efficient.
• Their design is compatible with mechanical tippers, which makes collection safer for employees.

The new bins will also significantly increase public access to recycling. The city has already expanded its number of public recycling bins from 180 in 2018 to 500 in 2025.

How You Can Help

To ensure the recycling program is as effective as possible, the DPW asks residents to only recycle the following items in the new bins:

• Metal cans and foil
• Glass bottles and jars
• Plastic containers
• Paper and cardboard

Please make sure these items are empty before you place them in the recycling bin. Contamination from non-recyclable materials costs the city money and requires workers to manually sort items at the recycling facility.

If you see an overflowing trash or recycling bin, you can report it at www.CambridgeMA.Gov/311.